Among other things I've bought recently, I picked up a pair of pearl-white Vega Summit 3.1 modular helmets for myself and my wife. They're not a perfect match for the Glacier Pearl of the bike, but close enough

That's not me in the picture - it's a file photo from Vega, but it shows what I need to illustrate.

My wife had only had a 3/4 helmet, and wanted a modular. I had a brand new Joe Rocket modular, but as it turns out, there were no pockets for installing helmet speakers...so, that helmet remains in its bag, unworn. Sigh.

Anyway, we now have matching helmets (I know, I know!). Installing the helmet speakers was, as usual, a bit of a chore, but the removable panel on the left side of the shell helps immensely. In the pic, they've used a special J&M set designed for the helmet, but the panel that the input cable goes through can be removed, and the cables of a standard J&M set passed through. The headset connector at the helmet attaches securely, and is high enough above the helmet's bottom edge that the weight of the helmet never rests on the headset wiring (a common source of failures).

The helmet itself is very well made, and quite comfortable. I've found many of the newer helmets are too narrow in the cheek area, pressing in uncomfortably on my face, but the Summit 3.1 is roomy enough for me, even though it has substantial cheek pads.

The chin bar latch works well, and locks securely into place. The area in front of your jaw is spacious, allowing room for a headset microphone to fit comfortably without interfering with the chin bar, wind cover (under your chin), or microphone while opening or closing the bar.

This helmet is far quieter than other modular helmets I've used. There is no wind noise to speak of with the chin bar closed, and no discernible whistling around vents and protrusions.

Both the clear shield and drop-down sun visor are optically very clear. I've had other helmets with the drop-down visor where the plastic was somewhat hazy (when brand new) - they work fine until you're riding into the sunlight, and the haze makes it difficult to see.

The Summit 3.1, however, is crystal clear, like wearing a pair of quality sunglasses, even when facing directly into the sun. Raising & lowering the sun shield is accomplished by a little black lever immediately behind the chin bar hinge point. Finding it with gloved hands is a bit tricky, but I'll improve with practice.

Still VERY pleased with them. Interestingly, my wife (who has never owned a modular or full-face helmet before) LOVES hers. She finds it quieter and less tiring than her other helmets and, once she gets used to the "squished cheeks" effect that seems to be in all helmets now (she's already pretty comfortable with it), she'll enjoy it for years to come.

So far, no scratches, paint chips, noises, or anything else have surfaced, although I am exceedingly careful with my helmets. The detachable panel in the side makes installation of headsets very easy compared to other helmets I've done, and future removals/re-installations of headset components will not require any tools at all. The position of this panel also ensures that the outside connector of the headset (J&M-style, at least) is not located at the bottom edge of the helmet, so its weight doesn't rest on the connector (a common point of failure, as the helmet's weight on the connector & wires causes internal wire breakage).

So far, all pros, no cons. Of course, we haven't had them long, but after several rides we like them more each time we use them.

We showed them off at a recent GWRRA coffee-klatch, and they drew considerable praise. After trying our helmets on, others have already ordered some for themselves.

Where did you buy this? How does it fit compared to other helmets? I have several XXL helmets that fit great, but when I bought a helmet similar to this but a different brand, the XXL didn't fit at all. I'd like to try it on before I drop the cash.

IIRC, I bought mine from the MotorcycleSuperstore.com. They have a sizing chart that appears to be very accurate - you use a tape measure to measure the circumference of your head (rather than just hat size, or a general head size) to determine which one to get. Both the helmets we received, using this method, fit us perfectly. This was pleasing, as I've had a hard time in the past getting helmets that fit me well. Because of the different standards used by various manufacturers, I've ended up with everything from medium to XL to get a fit. I was a little nervous about buying these online for that reason, but their fitting chart solved this problem.

BTW, it appears that the Vega Summit 3.1 is being replaced by the Vega Summit II. The new one appears to be the same helmet, with minor cosmetic changes (the Summit 3.1 replaced the Summit 3.0, again with essentially cosmetic changes, a year or two ago). As a result, bargain-basement prices are appearing for the Summit 3.1 helmets, so this might be a very good time to look at them!

Im a little late on this thread but... I too have the Vega Summit helmets and like them very much. I got a Black/Silver 3.1 first. It replaced a HJC Symax II that was discontinued and I couldn't find a replacement. The 3.1 had started to get a little beat up and my wife has expressed an interest in doing some riding this year with me so I sprung for 2 Black Summit 3.0 helmets that I got on sale at Jafrums for $69 each just before Christmas. 1 for her and 1 for me. They have them now for $99 and offer free shipping on orders over $89. They also offer free size exchanges. IIRC, the Summit II came first followed by the 3.0 and then the 3.1. Webbikeworld did a review of the Summit II back in 2006. The biggest difference between the II and 3.0 was the addition of the removable communication panel on both sides of the 3.0 to integrate a headset. J&M makes one for it. The JM HS ICD629VS3 HO Now the difference between the 3.0 and the 3.1 is that the 3.0 is solid colors and the 3.1 is two-tone and supposedly supposed to match the two-tone colors of the 2012 and newer Goldwings.